Multiple reports of defective roll feed holders, with a known design problem that makes it likely that other roll feed holders will fail over time.Reported problems include: roll feed unit won't load roll paper, "Paper Jam" error or "Paper Not Detected" error when trying to feed paper from the tray when roll feed holder is attached.Sometimes the problem is more subtle, like the poster who stated that he had to push the paper down firmly in the top tray to get it to feed.Update 5/15/07: According to Richard Reamer, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, "Canon USA is aware of the pendulum Roll Feed Unit issues, and Canon USA will continue to support problems related to these parts whether or not the unit is in warranty." With latest firmware, feeding from the top tray should be effortless if the feeder is working correctly. According to one service tech, "the problem is caused by loose gears in the roll feeder. There is an upper one that causes problem with the roller itself and a lower one that causes problems also with paper being feed through the upper tray. The replacement parts are not just gears, they are a small gear assembly of 3 gears each." He says Canon has modified the gear assemblies to include a retaining clamp and recommends that both of the gears be replaced if there is a problem. See also this FAQ. There are actually two problems: gears which pop off due to a design problem, and broken tabs on the paper release mechanism. There are five reports of a small plastic pivot broken off on the left side of the roll feed unit, apparently during shipping. It isn't clear exactly what function this part serves, although it is part of the transport mechanism for roll papers. One poster was told by the tech that was most likely the cause of his feed problem from the top tray. You may want to check your unit to make sure it is intact. While Canon has not issued any formal announcement, the following information has been pieced together from reports to the Wiki by different posters:
The gears on the roll feed have been modified slightly by adding a retaining clip to keep them from slipping off. It isn't possible to tell whether your unit has the new gears or the old. Apparently they need to be replaced on most/all roll feed units per the service company.
Some of the roll feed units have been reported to have one of the pivot points for the paper release mechanism broken off during shipping (5 reports so far). This is thought to be the cause of some feeding problems. See image below showing broken part in inset (which is actually the left side of the roll feed holder when it is installed on the printer and you are standing facing the printer):
A recent poster to the Wiki solved the problem himself as follows: (Note: Doing this will void your warranty, so proceed at your own risk) "I was able to fix the now widely encountered problem with the roll feed unit with a relatively simple repair. Using the very helpful instructions and pictures in this FAQ to disassemble the unit (a Phillips screwdriver is all that's needed), I too saw that one of the three gears on the "pendulum assembly" had popped off. I put it back, reassembled everything, but still encountered the "can't detect paper" problem. I determined that the root cause of the problem is too much friction between the steel pivot post and the plastic 3-gear gear assembly. The pendulum assembly performs a pretty clever rotation reversing function when it swings freely about the steel pivot post. I used the small blade of a pocket knife to gently ream the pivot hole of the plastic assembly to a slightly larger diameter. The gear that popped off has a friction-inducing spring under it. The reversing function depends on that gear having more resistance to rotation than the other gears and pendulum assembly as a whole. To beef up the retention of the gear with the spring under it, I used a tiny wooden wedge to widen the split-top retention ears on that gear's shaft. I secured the wooden wedge with a small drop of household glue. My roll feeder and "tray" feeder have now worked beautifully for the past two months. Canon must have had a manufacturing tolerance issue with pivot post / plastic pendulum hole to account for the widespread problem occurrences."
Recommendation: Do not purchase a roll feed unit unless you are assured that you will be getting a unit with the modified pendulum gears already installed. Otherwise, be prepared for at least one service call to fix the problem.
Resolution: Call Canon Support (Canon USA can be reached at 800-423-2366 and pressing 2 at the first prompt) so they can schedule a service tech to inspect and fix your unit. Don't waste time trying to fix it yourself.
Workaround: Install the original top tray feed in place of the roll feed unit when you want to feed from the tray. No workaround if your roll feed unit won't feed roll paper.
Known Problems for Old iPF5000 Printers Only
A recent poster to the Wiki solved the problem himself as follows: (Note: Doing this will void your warranty, so proceed at your own risk) "I was able to fix the now widely encountered problem with the roll feed unit with a relatively simple repair. Using the very helpful instructions and pictures in this FAQ to disassemble the unit (a Phillips screwdriver is all that's needed), I too saw that one of the three gears on the "pendulum assembly" had popped off. I put it back, reassembled everything, but still encountered the "can't detect paper" problem. I determined that the root cause of the problem is too much friction between the steel pivot post and the plastic 3-gear gear assembly. The pendulum assembly performs a pretty clever rotation reversing function when it swings freely about the steel pivot post. I used the small blade of a pocket knife to gently ream the pivot hole of the plastic assembly to a slightly larger diameter. The gear that popped off has a friction-inducing spring under it. The reversing function depends on that gear having more resistance to rotation than the other gears and pendulum assembly as a whole. To beef up the retention of the gear with the spring under it, I used a tiny wooden wedge to widen the split-top retention ears on that gear's shaft. I secured the wooden wedge with a small drop of household glue. My roll feeder and "tray" feeder have now worked beautifully for the past two months. Canon must have had a manufacturing tolerance issue with pivot post / plastic pendulum hole to account for the widespread problem occurrences."
Recommendation: Do not purchase a roll feed unit unless you are assured that you will be getting a unit with the modified pendulum gears already installed. Otherwise, be prepared for at least one service call to fix the problem.